The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is a thermodynamic process that converts the energy in exhaust heat into electricity. Dürr Cyplan offers a wide range of highly efficient ORC systems and is constantly developing the technology. The latest development is the Cyplan® ORC 250 HT. The system has been specially developed for combination with decentralized electricity generation units based on combustion engines. It incorporates the specific requirements and experiences of the biggest providers for decentralized power generation. It focuses on using waste heat from exhaust gas in the high-temperature range (400 °C to 530 °C) of diesel and gas engines in order to increase their operating efficiency. Further customer requirements included easy transport in a 40-foot shipping container as well as a modular structure. The ORC system can thus be integrated into existing systems quickly and cost effectively – with engines of different sizes and from different manufacturers.
Its design makes the Cyplan® ORC 250 HT suitable for a wide range of applications, for example in mining, shipping, disposal and utility companies, the oil and gas industry, or in remote settlement areas. The thermal energy produced in the electricity generation plants powered by diesel or gas engines has hardly been used until now, even though it accounts for around 60 percent of the primary energy input. The Cyplan® ORC 250 HT puts this heat to good use.
The resulting improvement in efficiency can either be used to increase output while keeping diesel or gas consumption constant or to reduce diesel or gas consumption while keeping output constant. Estimating the generated electricity at €0.15/kWh and an annual utilization of 8,000 hours, the Cyplan® ORC 250 HT generates an additional approx. €300,000 annually.
Depending on the different costs of electricity generation worldwide, the system pays for itself within two to four years. Considering electricity generation plants’ long service life of ten to 15 years, this is an investment that is always worthwhile. In addition, the use or retrofitting of ORC systems as an efficiency-increasing measure is promoted in many countries.
Over the past six years, Dürr Cyplan has successfully planned, connected, and commissioned Cyplan® ORC systems for different waste heat sources in the biogas, natural gas, biomass, geothermal and solar sector as well as in industry in different countries around the world.
Dürr Cyplan, a subsidiary of the Dürr Group, can be found at booth A-G16 in hall A at Electrify Europe 2018.
